You probably know that plastic bottles can be recycled into all sorts of items, such as furniture and car parts. What you may not know is that XCELUS Building Systems’ spray foam uses plastic bottles in the formulation of XLS 2000 energy saving insulation. In fact, the average new home sprayed with XCELUS closed-cell insulation uses the equivalent of 5,000 plastic bottles. Plastic waste is a global problem. It’s estimated that the USA is the world’s largest generator of plastic waste. In 2016, the volume was estimated at 42 million metric tons. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of this waste is recycled. The majority is sent to landfills, not only in the USA, but also to other countries. In 2018, the USA recycling rate was only 8.7%.
Why such a low plastic recycling rate?
The primary reasons for such a low recycling rate are:- Contamination when disposed of incorrectly
- Not all recycling facilities can treat every type of plastic product
- Plastic Water Bottle Environmental Impact
- Ocean pollution
- Drain blockage
- Landfill
- Greenhouse gas emissions